GUIDE TO ORDERING SUSHI

Benihana’s Ordering Sushi 101

Celebrate International Sushi Day (June 18) with Benihana’s guide to ordering sushi below. Then, stop in to your local Benihana to try one of our delicious specialty rolls!

* Sushi uses Japanese sticky rice seasoned with a sweet rice vinegar (a mixture of sugar and rice vinegar) as it is cooled and then adorned with raw fish, vegetables, Japanese omelet, or even barbequed eel (anago or unagi).

The most popular types of sushi include:

Uramaki: Inside-out rolls (rice on the outside, seaweed on the inside)

Nigiri: Finger sushi, pieces of fish on top of rice

Sashimi: Beautifully arranged slice fish only (no rice or vegetables)

Temaki: Cone-shaped hand rolls, meant to be eaten like an ice cream cone

* Wasabi commonly accompanies sushi rolls. It is a Japanese horseradish made from an olive-green root with bumpy skin. True wasabi is ground on a shark’s skin board. Ordinary graters will cause the wasabi to lose its heat and take on a chunkier, rather than smooth consistency. Since wasabi can have a strong sensation, only try a small amount at a time, until you know the amount your body can handle.

* Sushi is meant to be eaten in one bite and designed to be picked up by chopsticks. It is important to only dip the fish side of the sushi into the sauce since dipping the rice side of the sushi into the sauce usually makes it fall apart.